


Steps of An Angel

by Hobble_Dragon_Writing



Category: Borderlands
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-07-23 21:14:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7480278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hobble_Dragon_Writing/pseuds/Hobble_Dragon_Writing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things always start with tiny steps that with work and confidence grow to leaps and bounds. Small fluff of a gift for Angel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Steps of An Angel

The world seemed to be on autopilot white noise. Everything was going so mundane and routine it all just blended into one well oiled set of motions. Janey was standing along one of the work tables with a full, rounded bottom VR6 engine tittering in front of her. Her small engine stand had fallen before this rather aggressively annoying vehicle engine. So far the pestering hunk of metal had flattened several tools, bent or snapped three engine braces, brutalized her engine stand, and nearly skint meat from not just her body but from Athena’s as well. It had quickly becoming close to one of the most frustrating non-organic things she had ever had the displeasure of being aware of.  
  
So focused on getting the angle just right for the wrench in her hand while keeping the engine upright, she didn’t notice Athena coming out in just a sports bra, wrapped hands and feet, and compression shorts. A short time ago, Athena had taken a small and rather dusty corner of the main floor of the garage to put up small benches and a 100lb. heavy bag. Perk of being small: Athena could keep the workout area tight into the corner without being restricted or feeling crowded. Never cutting into the floor space needed for Janey’s work. Stopping before the heavy punching bag, Athena checked her hand wraps while her legs started moving slowly in warm up motions.  
  
Janey straightened up with a pop of her neck and a hissed intake of air. She had finally gotten the wrench where she needed it. The sound of a light smack turned her head. Without thinking she quickly switched the hand that was keeping the engine upright in a smooth slid. Bracing her now freed left hand against the work table, Janey leaned forward just enough to see past the hood of the all-terrain vehicle between her and the sound. Athena was slowly stretching her muscles out in slow curling and uncurling of her arms. The smacks were coming from her fists hitting against the bag.  
  
Janey had seen Athena do this countless times since she installed the heavy bag. She would slowly circle the bag like a Stalker around downed prey. Warming up her arms with slow jabs, legs pulling tight in stretching steps as she went round. It was like watching slow-motion, focused danger. And, oh did it hit Janey just right. A quiet, titillated rush of air escaped her curving lips as she smiled at the slowly revving sight before her. Loud scraping filled the garage followed by a bouncing thud mingled over a meaty crunch.  
  
A rather unpleasant squeal of pain vaulted from Janey’s mouth followed a very foul string of expletives. Mind lapsing to her lady, Janey’s hand had pivoted the engine wrong. Resulting in the balance going out the window and the engine coming down on her left hand. Panicked fingers scrambled against metal. Wheezing whimpers where scratching out of Janey as Athena skidded to a halt against the edge of the table. Athena hooked fingers into crevices and popped the engine upward. As soon as enough space was available, Janey snatched her hand free and to her chest. The engine came back to the table with a thud.  
  
Making small shushing noises under her breath, Athena moved up and gently motioned for Janey to show her the wounded hand. Janey’s hand came away from her chest quivering in pain. A gnarly slash was slowly seeping along the back. Luckily the opening was only about an inch and and half long, had missed any tendons and muscle, and most of the pain was coming as a dull throbbing roar of having flesh and bone suddenly pinned between two heavy hard objects.  
  
Still not saying any actual words, Athena pulled Janey gently by the forearm and nudged her with her hips till she bumped against the work table. Janey groaned awkwardly when Athena lifted her to sit her on the table. It was a move that Janey had done so many times to Athena when she came home covered in painful marks. Athena’s hand held out flat in a ‘stay here’ motion before she moved off into the home. Moments later, she returned with some antiseptic cream. Little hisses and groans of pain squeaked from Janey as Athena, in the most gentle way possible, braced Janey’s injured hand along the back of her own then worked the cream into the cut. Removing the normal adornments along Janey’s left wrist, Athena quickly removed one of the wrappings along her own hand and wrist.  
  
The wrapping curled around Janey’s appendage quick and graceful in the hands of the ex-assassin. When she neared Janey’s hand Athena slowed her motions to gently get the material around Janey’s fingers, making sure it was tight. Before Athena could get it fastened, Janey pulled her arm back. A disgruntled sigh and Athena looked up with a perturbed look on her face. The smile on Janey’s face was so warm it cooled the air around them. Unable to help herself, a small curve touched on Athena’s lips and her eyes melted. Janey’s arm hooked around Athena’s neck and she pulled the smaller woman forward as she curled at the neck to press her lips against her wife’s. Several tender moments trickled by.  
  
Janey’s arms had wrapped around Athena’s neck and Athena’s had curled around Janey’s waist, hand idly rubbing against her lover’s spine, when someone cleared their throat. A throaty growl emitted from the blue-haired woman against the blonde’s smiling lips. Kiss breaking, Athena groaned when Janey teased her tongue against the short woman’s bottom lip. Tugging at the trim of Janey’s pink short jacket, Athena silently told the junker to behave. The trained warrior’s head lulled to the side, deep chuckle from her wife muffled against her newly exposed neck, to see who had interrupted. Three girls, of various heights, were silhouetted in the garage bay door.  
  
A knowing whoop let loose from the second tallest, “Oooo, should we come back? Let you two get a lil somethin’, somethin’ goin!”  
  
Janey’s chuckle turned into a full laugh as she predicted the scrunched face accompanying the groan Athena hissed out, “No, Tiny.” Tiny and the tallest girl, Gaige, burst into snickers, ribbing each other, as Angel, shortest in her wheelchair, softly chuckled. Kissing Athena’s temple as she moved, Janey unwound her arms from her wife’s neck then waved with her unhurt hand for them to come closer. Angel made a concerned noise when they rounded the table and she saw Janey’s wrapped hand, Athena was finishing up the fastening.  
  
“Soz, gals. Forgot you was comin’. What with my hand gettin’ smashed,” a small noise hopped from Janey as Athena double checked the tightness of the wrap.  
  
“Looks like you forgot because somethin’ else was bout to get smashed,” Tiny Tina’s grin wasn’t so tiny as she enjoyed her string of double entendres. Janey grinned just as wide as Tina at the pained look on the socially awkward woman’s face. Softly, Janey nudged Athena back so she could slide off the table.  
  
Janey’s boots clicked solidly against the garage flooring, her hand steadying on her lady’s shoulder, “Hon, be good an’ put Angel up here. Gaige an’ I be right back.” Before, Athena could question anything, Janey and Gaige had moved off toward the back of the garage. Blinking for a moment, Athena turned and looked at Tina who just shrugged as she drummed something tuneless on the work table.  
  
“Close your eyes, my dear Angel!” Gaige yelled from the back room the two had entered. The three other women shared glances. With a soft kick of her covered feet, Angel shrugged but closed her eyes. Boots making happy clattering sounds, Gaige bounded from the back room. Grinning so wide and carrying something in her arms. Practically, prancing up in front of her girlfriend Gaige placed the item alongside Angel’s thigh, “Keep ‘em closed!” Janey came up seconds after carrying another object that had to go with the items Giage had placed beside Angel and was currently separating. A flurry of movement ensued as the two layered the items to Angel. Being diligent, Angel kept her eyes shut even when a few motions seemed to be uncomfortable or painful.  
  
Any noise or scrunch of Angel’s face brought doubt to storm across the redheaded anarchist’s face. Janey would nudge her and give her a reassuring look. With everything done and in place, both the blonde and the redhead stepped back to look over their work. A pair of black and white knee-high boots gracefully curved Angel’s foot as if she was in high heels or walking on the balls of her feet. The part that would normally be the high heel was flat black metal, attached at the base of the calf, that curved gently around the siren’s raised heel. Leg bracings curved up along the outer seam of her legs to end in a metal belt around her waist. From the metal belt, along her spine, ran an interlocking set of metal vertebrae that ran into the base of cushioned metal pauldrons.  
  
Silently, Janey moved forward to position everyone out of the way. Tiny Tina was shooed off to the other end of the work table, arms leaned against handles of the wheelchair. Giage further away to prop against the seat of a motorbike. Athena was made to stand across from Angel, a little ways back for Janey to be able to stand directly in front of the small siren, “Alls good, now. Open your eyes.”  
  
With her eyes opened, Angel stared down her body, “What…?” Dainty fingers reached up and stroked along smooth metal and she slowly twisted to feel the metal spine cool against her own. Angel’s voice was feather soft, “What is this?”  
  
A smile just as soft curved the junker’s lips, “The idea was Gaige’s. She got me to get the parts an’ keep it safe from your eyes. I helped her put them together. They’re stabilizer boots. Help you stand til your legs can do on their own. Bonza, ay?” Janey took a long step back, her hands held out inches from Angel, “C’mon. Giv’em a try?” Silence fell. Angel’s beautiful blue orbs look scared as her fingers stroked along the metal braces along her legs as if she was stroking a lover’s skin. The silence stretched but no one moved, even Tina was standing silently still. After several moments that felt like small eternities with hands gripping knuckle white to the table edge, Angel pushed off to touch her feet to the floor.  
  
The boots clicked quietly to the concrete. Janey’s hands moved forward a bit to gently settle against the slim-line metal pauldrons. Gaige’s hands flexed in worry and the normal vibrating wild that emitted from the slip of a woman was stilled. A small quiver traveled up Angel’s legs as she settled her weight and adjusted to the feel of the boots and harness. Angel breathed in several deep, calming breaths before she rubbed Janey’s forearms in a signal she was ready. As slow as the world turns, Janey removed her hands and backed away to stand beside her silent Athena. Several more deep breaths and the first step was taken. Breaths, no one realized they were holding, fled from their bodies. Tiny Tina huffed a ragged breath and dropped her head to her crossed arms.  
  
Angel smiled at the sound then took another step. Her legs vibrated savagely and her knees sank. A strained sound came from Gaige and she took several steps forward before Angel had regained her balance and started waving her back. The redhead stopped mid-step and stared during several waves of her small siren girlfriend’s hand before stepping back to her previous position. Tiny Tina had dropped into a squat and was peeking, eyes as round as a frightened skag pup, over the back of the wheelchair. Slowly, Angel straightened back up. Her back ramrod straight, she looked around a moment and grinned when she realized she was now taller than Gaige in these boots. Best to tease her about it later.  
  
Those long stretches of time started again as each step was calculated and a calm breath or two was taken before moving forward. Gaige’s face was a mask of proud as the siren’s steps grew a hair quicker after the turn to head toward the anarchist. Halfway there and another quiver of Angel’s legs sent her completely to the floor, legs folded under her. Athena’s hands shot up before anyone could move. Left hand in a strict ‘stay there’ point at Gaige and right clamped firm on Janey’s forearm, she moved up the squat silently beside the downed woman. Voice a quiet rasp as she spoke, “Come on. Get up. You made it all the way here from the table. You have to make the rest. Give up now, you’ll never do it.”  
  
“It’s just hard. Tiring,” Angel was being honest with Athena, “I’m sorry, I’m whining.”  
  
A twinge pulled painfully inside Athena as she felt some of this attitude that was abused into Angel was her fault, “You’re not whining. Learning, generally, is hard. Training is hard. Putting the training to use is even harder,” Athena paused as she chewed her tongue a moment, mind thinking. Her voice was nearly silent as she whispered just for Angel’s ears, “You survived when a majority would have died. What’s a little walking compared to that?” Athena stood, wrapped feet moving her silently a few steps away. Bowing at the waist, the ex-assassin reached her hand out to hover inches away from Angel’s face. A mimic of her better half several minutes before.  
  
A good thirty-minutes went by of Angel staring at the offered hand of help. The woman who had wiped out an entire corrupt corporation, who helped soften the Crimson Lance and unintentionally helped in a small part to create the Crimson Raiders, and who had helped her father rise in power as he slowly spiraled into madness was now standing in front of her; mentally willing her to be as strong as she was the day she helped topple the power crazed sperm donor. Letting out a quiet growl that made Athena proud, Angel braced her hands flat to the floor and slowly started to pull her legs under her. It took a bit of heavy effort but Angel finally got her feet stead. Huffing deep and hard, the siren stood fully back upright. Gaige was gripping her pigtails like horns and her face was sheet white with worry.  
  
The first few steps were as tentative as in the beginning. Angel couldn’t help the giddy snicker as she made it to a fidgeting Gaige and flopped against tech savvy girl. A heavy grin spread across Gaige’s features and the normally excited vibration of her aura came back full force as she wrapped around her fragile girlfriend in a tight hug. “Hey! You’re taller than me, now!”


End file.
